nl 

ui 


REPORT   OF  THE   COMMITTEE 


Tenement  Houses 


(  'it.i/ens'  Association 


OF  CHICAGO. 


ROON  -TS'  BUILDING. 


SEPTEMBER     iSS,. 


CIIM    AG 

i 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE 


Tenement  Houses 


or  THK 


CITIZENS'  SSSOCISTION 


OF  CHICAGO. 


Rooms,  35  Merchants'  Building. 


CHICAGO : 

GEO.  K    HAZI.ITT  *  Co.,  PRINTERS,    172   AND  171  O.AK  <   STKRHT. 
1884. 


Citizens'  Association  of  Chicago, 


ESTABLISHED   1874. 


EXECUTIVE  .COMMITTEE,  1883-4. 


JOHN  L.  THOMPSON,  EDWIN  LEE  BROWN, 

President.  Vice-President. 

A.  A.  CARPENTER,  FRANCIS  B.  PEABODY, 

MARX  WINEMAN,  MAX  A.  MEYER, 

EDSON  KEITH,  ERSKINE  M.  PHELPS. 

M.  A.  RYERSON,  A.  W.  KINGSLAND, 

A.  F.  SEEBERGER,  R.  T.  CRANE, 

MARSHALL  FIELD,  J.  HARLEY  BRADLEY, 
GEO.  MILLS  ROGERS. 


GEO.  SCHNEIDER,  J.  C.  AMBLER, 

Treasurer.  Secretary. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE 

ON 

TENEMENT  HOUSES. 


To  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Citizens  Association  of 
Chicago. 

The  undersigned  Committee  on  Tenement  Houses,  to 
whom  was  referred  the  subject  indicated  by  its  name, 
beg  to  report  that  they  commenced  its  examination 
from  the  starting  point  of  last  year's  report,  made  by 
a  committee  of  which  a  majority  of  our  number  were 
members.  That  was  compiled  after  a  thorough  iper- 
sonal  examination  of  the  whole  field,  a  task  in  which 
they  had  the  aid  of  the  City  Health  Department  and 
the  newspapers.  The  statistics  with  regard  to  the  work- 
ing population  were  authenticated  by  the  best  obtainable 
authorities  and  have  been  verified  by  subsequent  research. 
We  will,  as  briefly  as  possible,  rehearse  the  salient  points 
of  that  document,  so  as  to  render  our  subsequent  remarks 
more  intelligible. 

It  sets  forth  the  wretched  condition  of  the  tenements 
into  which  thousands  of  the  workingmen  are  huddled, 
the  wholesale  violation  of  all  rules  for  drainage,  plumb- 
ing, light,  ventilation  and  safety  in  case  of  fire  or  acci- 
dent, the  neglect  of  all  laws  of  health,  the  horrible 
condition  of  sewers  and  outhouses,  the  filthy,  dingy 
rooms  into  which  they  are  crowded,  the  unwholesome 
character  of  their  food,  and  the  equally  filthy  nature  oi 
the  neighboring  streets,  alleys  and  back  lots,  filled  with 
decaying  matter  and  stagnant  pools.  It  gives  statements 
of  the  national  and  other^characteristics  of  the  emigration 


4 

to  this  country  of  those  who  become  identified  with  our 
working  classes,  their  mode  of  life  at  home  and  after 
their  arrival  and  settlement  here.  It  gives  estimates  of 
the  numbers  of  wage-workers  and  their  distribution 
among  the  different  trades  and  employments;  also  of  the 
average  wages  and  pecuniary  capacity  of  various  classes 
of  workmen  and  employes,  demonstrates  the  extrava- 
gantly high  proportion  of  rent  to  their  wages  paid  by 
workmen,  and  exposes  the  scandalous  and  disgraceful 
system  of  lodging-house  keeping  in  Chicago;  it  gives 
brief  but  appalling  suggestions  of  the  diseases  known  to 
exist  in  the  crowded  and  unwholesome  dens  visited  by 
the  committee  ;  it  points  to  the  fact  that  all  these  com- 
bined drive  many  of  the  better  class  of  workmen  to  seek 
homes  outside  the  city,  and  refers  to  the  facts  and  possi- 
bilities of  political  and  moral  corruption  invited  by  the 
wretched  condition  and  surroundings  of  the  classes 
treated  in  the  report.  It  alludes  to  the  almost  entire 
impossibility  of  their  being  able  to  relieve  their  condition 
by  their  own  efforts,  with  the  reasons  why  they  show 
little  if  any  desire  for  social  improvement,  and  suggests 
one  of  the  reasons  why  4,000  saloons  flourish  in  Chicago 
as  being  that  their  patrons  have  no  better  place  for 
meeting  and  recreation.  It  also  contrasts  the  mode  of 
life  of  American  work  people  and  their  foreign  brethren, 
makes  suggestions  for  beneficial  legislation,  including 
some  of«a  compulsory  character,  such  as  demolition  of 
filthy  houses,  for  sanitary  reasons.  It  does  justice,  how- 
ever, to  those  who  have  kept  themselves  free  from  con- 
tamination and  maintained  the  respectability  consequent 
upon  correct  habits,  and  who  bring  up  their  families  in 
conformity  with  the  same  code  of  moral  principles  which 
has  regulated  their  own  lives,  referring  to  them  in  gen- 
eral terms  as  the  married  portion  of  the  Americans  and 
those  speaking  English,  and  the  Germans  and  Scandi- 
navians; while  at  the  same  time  it  deplores  the  absence 
of  the  family  tie  in  too  many  instances,  amongst  the 
unmarried  of  the  same  class  whose  lot  casts  them  into 
the  lodging  or  boarding  house. 


5 

All  these  statistics  and  observations  are  made  the 
basis  of  a  suggestion  for  relief  by  the  erection  of  model 
tenement  houses  on  a  plan  the  sketch  of  which  accom- 
panied that  report,  which  was  itself  the  subject  of 
extended  comment  and  criticism  of  a  generally  favorable 
character  by  the  press  at  that  time.  Some  modifications 
and  amplifications  were  suggested  which  this  committee 
cheerfully  accept  and  embody  in  the  recommendations 
hereinafter  put  forth,  and  inasmuch  as  the  twelve  months 
which  have  elapsed  since  the  publication  of  that  report 
have  been  prolific  of  schemes  and  plans  for  the  ameliora- 
tion of  the  condition  of  the  workingman  by  providing 
him  with  better  accommodations  at  a  cheap  or  reasonable 
rate,  it  is  as  well  that  the  comparatively  short  delay  in 
taking  steps  to  carry  out  the  suggestion  of  the  first 
report  has  occurred,  as  the  scheme  can  now  be  approach- 
ed with  a  better  knowledge  of  the  whole  situation. 

The  condition  of  wage-workers  throughout  the  world 
furnishes  the  basis  for  all  the  discussions  with  regard  to 
capital  and  labor  ;  it  is  the  underlying  cause  for  the  for- 
mation of  all  labor  societies  and  trades-unions;  it  is  the 
basis  of  socialistic  principles  and  the  fruitful  cause  of 
communistic  disturbances.  As  the  world  advances  in 
population,  intelligence  and  wealth,  and  the  ever  increas- 
ing necessities  of  life  bring  about  new  demands  upon 
mechanical  skill  and  ingenuity,  this  absorbing  question 
comes  more  prominently  to  view,  intensified  in  all  its 
bearings  by  the  modern  tendency  to  centralization  and 
aggregation,  which  is  an  undisputed  fact. 

Trades-unions  seek  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
workman  by  an  advance  in  wages ;  socialistic  bodies  by 
exemplifications  of  theories,  many  of  which  are  fallacies; 
communists  by  the  advocacy  of  destructive  principles, 
and  the  political  demagogue  holds  out  inducements  of 
any  kind  to  catch  the  votes  or  good  will  of  the  unthink- 
ing or  unwary.  None  of  these  appear  to  reach  down  to 
the  root  of  the  matter,  nor  to  advance  the  idea  that  the 


betterment  desired  can  be  accomplished  more  easily  by 
reducing,  at  the  outset,  the  cost  of  living,  particularly  in 
the  very  important  primary  item  of  house  rent. 

Before  proceeding  to  present  the  main  features  and 
recommendations  of  this  report,  we  will  give  a  few  facts 
and  make  a  few  observations  on  topics  which  are  kindred 
to  the  subject  and  are  necessary  for  its  thorough  com- 
prehension, although  they  more  properly  belong  to  its 
political  than  to  its  practical  and  economic  aspect. 

There  are  in  Chicago  not  less  than  eighty-five  trade 
and  labor  organizations  and  Knights  of  Labor  assemblies 
and  similar  societies  of  workmen,  which  have  central 
organizations  where  they  meet  by  delegation  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  such  subjects  as  are  of  interest  to  their  craft, 
and  there  are  also  central  and  other  labor  clubs  for 
political  purposes ;  there  is  besides,  another  society 
meeting  under  the  style  of  Proletarians,  a  name  which 
indicates  its  object.  These  societies  and  clubs  comprise 
distinct  bodies  for  nearly  every  trade  and  calling,  with 
such  branches  and  unions  as  are  necessary.  We  find 
seamen,  working-women,  barbers,  musicians  and  others 
formed  into  unions  which  but  a  few  years  since  were 
unknown,  and  there  are  daily  and  other  workingmens' 
papers  and  periodicals  published  in  several  languages. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  as  well  stated  here  as  else- 
where, that  the  percentage  of  native  American  popul- 
ation engaged  in  handicraft  is  gradually  lessening,  partly 
because  from  their  mode  of  life  they  cannot  work  so 
cheaply,  and  partly  because  the  growing  or  underaged 
portion,  the  girls  and  boys,  prefer  to  find  employment  in 
stores  and  offices  as  salespeople  or  cash  or  errand  boys, 
rather  than  to  enter  factories  or  workshops  or  become 
apprentices  to  trades. 

The  working  classes  having  thus  organized  themselves 
into  unions  and  clubs  with  central  administrative  bodies, 


are  in  a  position  to  be  dealt  with  as  a  body  in  all  cases 
where  their  own  well  being  and  advancement  on  the  one 
hand  and  the  interests  of  capitalists,  property  holders  and 
manufacturers,  on  the  other,  are  in  question.  It  seems 
evident  that  the  latter  should  likewise,  by  combination, 
be  in  a  position  to  meet  the  questions  of  the  hour  in  a 
practical  manner,  and  apply  the  proper  remedies  for  the 
general  discontent  and  occasional  popular  outbreaks  that 
a  long  period  of  mercantile  depression  is  apt  to  engender ; 
but  as  the  recommendation  of  any  plan  for  such  a  com- 
bination is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  committee's  duties, 
we  will  confine  ourselves  to  suggestions  for  benefitting 
the  working  classes  in  the  way  that  we  consider  the  most 
important  for  them,  which,  if  adopted,  will  be  a  long 
stride  in  the  direction  of  a  general  movement  to  bring 
capital  and  labor  into  a  closer  economic  union. 

It  is  only  within  a  few  years  that  any  effort  has  been 
made  in  this  country  to  benefit  the  working  classes  by 
the  provision  of  comfortable  and  convenient  tenements 
for  their  use  at  a  moderate  rent. 

The  most    notable  of  their   kind    in  other  countries 
are  those  provided  by  Peabody  in  London,  by  Krupp  in 
Germany,  at  Creuzot  in  France  and  at  Saltaire  in  Eng- 
land.     But  the  governments  of  some  of  the  European 
countries  are  fully  aroused  to  the  importance  of  the  matter, 
and  have  taken  the  lead  of  private  capitalists  in  building 
operations   of  the   kind;    thus,  in    England,    under  the 
guise  of  sanitary  regulation,  the  "Artisans'  Dwellings" 
act  makes  it  compulsory  on  municipalities  to  purchase 
and     destroy     whole    blocks    of    buildings     in    certain 
peculiar  cases,  and  erect  in  their  place  commodious  and 
wholesome  tenements ;  the  funds  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose are  supplied  by  the  royal  treasury  at  a  low  rate  of 
interest  and  with  easy  terms  of  re-payment.     In  Belgium 
a  recent  resolution  of  their  parliament  or  chambers  de- 
clared that  the  provision  of  better  and  cheaper  housing 


8 

for  work  people  is  the  fundamental  source  of  allaying  dis- 
content, and  the  best  guarantee  of  the  stability  of  their 
political  institutions.  In  France  the  system  in  vogue  is 
much  better  than  in  many  other  countries,  but  amend- 
ments are  sought  and  their  legislative  chambers  are 
engaged  in  the  discussion  of  laws  for  the  improvement 
of  the  homes  of  the  poor  in  large  cities.  In  Germany 
much  progress  has  been  made  in  the  same  direction  and 
the  subject  engages  the  attention  of  their  wisest  states- 
men. Recent  legislation  in  far  distant  Australia  em- 
powers the  demolition  of  any  old,  dilapidated  or 
unhealthy  dwelling  within  city  limits  at  the  expense  and 
risk  of  the  proprietor;  1,300  houses  have  been  so 
destroyed  and  other  buildings  erected  in  their  place. 
i 

It  is  fortunate  that  our  system  of  business  needs  no 
governmental  aid  or  advice,  neither  does  it  require  the 
example  or  beneficence  of  a  Peabody.  When  the  necessity 
or  convenience  of  a  project  is  apparent,  and  the  moment- 
ous question — will  it  pay? — has  been  settled,  the  work  is 
speedily  undertaken.  The  amount  of  capital  lying  idle 
and  awaiting  profitable  employment,  already  enormous, 
is  increasing  daily  and  the  impatience  of  its  owners  to 
rush  into  railway  and  other  joint  stock  investments  has 
received  such  severe  checks  in  the  past,  that  a  recent 
very  marked  decline  in  shares  amounting  almost  to  a 
general  panic,  did  not  draw  out  the  accumulated  hoards 
in  the  banks  to  any  great  extent  for  such  a  purpose  ;  out- 
side of  regular  operators  in  speculative  shares  and  com- 
modities, there  appears  to  be  a  decided  disinclination  to 
invest  money  except  in  a  very  safe  and  conservative 
manner,  and  we  believe  that  such  an  investment  can  be 
found  in  the  erection  and  maintainance  of  dwellings  for 
workingmen  and  the  poor,  on  a  large  scale,  with  perfect 
security  and  a  greater  profitable  anuual  return  than  in 
railway  or  other  more  doubtful  projects.  A  double  result 
would  thus  be  obtained — the  amelioration  of  the  condition 
of  those  who  are  compelled  to  live  in  uncomfortable  or 
filthy  quarters  because  they  have  not  the  means  or 


opportunity  of  doing  better,  and  the  profitable  employ- 
ment of  capital.     In  the  whirl  of  business  prosperity  and 
of  speculation,  heretofore,  this   has  escaped  the  atten- 
tion of  moneyed  men  of  large  and   philanthropic  views, 
with  the  result  of  keeping  back  such  improvements  and 
leaving  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  avaricious  and  un- 
feeling the  housing  of  the  vast  multitude  of  artisans  and 
laborers.     Happily  this  has  not  been  universally  the  case 
as  we   see,    with  us    here,   near   Chicago,  the    Pullman 
enterprise  and  in  New  York  the  buildings  erected  by  the 
association    for   improving   the    dwellings   of    the   poor. 
Philadelphia   has   gained    imperishable   renown   by    the 
history  of  her  building   societies,  which    have  done   so 
much  to  improve  the  condition  of  her  work-people  and 
others.    Several  similar  institutions  have   been  tried   in 
Chicago,  but   they  do   not   seem    to   be  popular,  as  the 
system   involves  a   high    rate   of  interest,    which    keeps 
many  from  entering   their   plans.     In    Chicago,  a  great 
many  flats   have  been    erected   and  have  been  successful 
for  the  purposes  intended,  that  of  housing  a  better  class 
of  tenants   than  those   which   are  the    subject  of  these 
remarks,  and  the  question  immediately  arises  :    Why  not 
continue  the  process  by  erecting  such   buildings  for   a 
poorer  class  of  people  and  on  property  of  a  smaller  price 
on  account  of  its  location  ?     If  it  pays  in  one  instance  it 
will  in  another. 

The  ability  of  Chicago  working  people  to  pay  rent 
sufficient  to  make  such  buildings  profitable,  if  erected  in 
proper  localities  and  on  rational  plans,  cannot  be  doubted 
when  we  reflect  that  for  some  of  the  wretched  tenements 
they  now  occupy,  they  are  fleeced  at  a  rate  which  returns 
25  to  40  per  cent  per  annum  of  the  value  of  the  property. 
Capitalists,  disposed  to  benefit  the  poor,  do  not  seem  to 
understand  these  important  facts,  probably  for  the  reason 
that  they  do  not  usually  come  in  contact  with  the  ten- 
ants to  be  benefitted  by  a  change  of  condition,  and  that 
the  complaints  and  laments  which  are  so  loud  do  not 
come  directly  to  them  from  the  poor  inhabitants  of 


IO 

crowded  tenement  houses  and  dark,  foul  slums ;  they 
are  more  from  official  sources  and  newspaper  articles 
which  are  sometimes  read  and  always  forgotten. 

The  population  of  Chicago,  as  shown  by  the  recent 
school  census,  is  630,000,  from  which,  if  we  deduct  230,- 
ooo  for  the  young  and  aged  and  those  not  able  to  work 
for  their  living,  and  I  50,000  for  merchants,  store-keepers, 
bankers,  political  employes,  professionals,  their  clerks  and 
domestic  servants  and  all  idlers,  we  have  250,000  adults 
who  are  wage-workers  in  the  different  trades,  railway 
employes,  factory  hands,  laborers  and  the  like.  A  table 
prepared  with  as  much  care  as  possible,  shows  that  the 
wages  earned  by  these  250,000  people  range  from  $2  to 
$25  per  week,  taking  in  the  whole  list  of  employment  for 
girls,  boys,  women,  skilled  workmen  and  laborers,  and  the 
researches  made  last  year  and  since,  indicate  that  a  very 
moderate  tenement  as  to  decency  and  size,  even  in  the 
outskirts  of  the  city,  costs  about  $10  per  month.  We 
propose  to  show  that  superior  accommodations  can  be 
furnished  at  prices  within  the  reach  of  the  poorer  class 
of  people,  and  a  very  fair  rate  of  interest  obtained  on 
the  investment  of  the  capital.  But  before  doing  so  we 
will  give  some  account  of  what  has  been  done  in  other 
cities  for  the  same  object. 

The  Peabody  buildings  in  London  have  been  so  often 
described  that  we  shall  but  give  them  the  passing  notice, 
that  they  have  been  a  success  in  every  particular.  Prior 
to  the  introduction  of  the  Artisans'  and  Laborers'  Dwel- 
lings Act  of  1875  in  England,  to  which  we  have  alluded 
above,  no  less  than  28  Associations  formed  with  the 
object  we  advocate  in  view,  had  provided  improved 
homes  for  32,435  persons  at  a  cost  of  $6,000,000,  and  at 
an  average  weekly  rental  of  50  to  70  cents  for  one  room, 
75  to  90  cents  for  two  rooms,  and  $1.10  to  $1.60  for  three 
rooms.  The  profit  realized  varied  from  2^  to  6^  per 
cent.  Since  the  operation  of  that  law,  which  makes  the 
eradication  of  low,  mean  and  unhealthy  neighborhoods 


II 


compulsory,  the  London   Metropolitan   Board  of  Works 
have  dealt  with   1 2  areas,  aggregating  40  acres,  at  a  cost 
of  $7,500,000,  and  as  the  money  supplied  by  government 
costs  31^  per  cent,  and  the  new  buildings  erected  have 
been  immediately  filled   up  by  tenants,  it  is  presumable 
that  at  least  that  rate  has  been  realized  over  and  above 
taxes,  insurance  and  other  charges.     Besides  these  opera- 
tions of  the  Municipal  Authorities,  companies  are  now 
constantly  forming  for  the  same  purpose,  and  a  general 
report  on  the  subject  says  "  the  existing  Companies  in 
the  metropolis  formed  to  provide  dwellings  for  the  indus- 
trial classes,  pay  about  five  per  cent,  and  the  demand  for 
such  tenements  far  exceeds  the  supply."  In  January  of  this 
year  the  foundation   stone  for  a  new  block  of  buildings 
for  artisans  and  laborers,  was  laid  in  one  of  the  poorest 
districts  of  London.     A  report  says,  "  they  will  be  equal 
if  not  superior  to  any  similar  dwellings  now  existing  in 
the  kingdom — well  built,  well  ventilated,  and  well  drained  ; 
divided  into  five  blocks  of  varying  heights,  comprising  531 
rooms   in    241    tenements   of  one,    two   or  three  rooms 
respectively ;  20   shops  will   be   erected    as   part  of  the 
scheme.     The  land  will  cost  two-thirds  of  the  whole  out- 
lay."    The  report  continues,   "  the  rents  cannot  be  very 
low,  but  the  tenants  will  not  pay  more  than  they  have 
been  accustomed  to  do  for  their  wretched  hovels,  and 
will   have  the  advantage  of  clean,  well  ventilated  apart- 
ments."    How   well   suited  such    a   range   of  buildings 
would  be  to  the  wants  of  Chicago,  and  how  accurately 
the  last  clauses  define  the  position  here.     The  Waterlow 
buildings    recently    erected    in    London,  are  the    most 
improved,  for  Artisans,  now  in  existence  there,  and  have 
been  the  subject    of  comment   and    illustration    in   this 
country  ;  the  rents  are  $71  to  $78  per  year  for  two  rooms, 
$91  to  $97  for  three,  and  $117  for  four  rooms,  and  the 
building  pays  dividends  of  five  per  cent,  two  per  cent  to 
a  repair  fund,  something  to  an  equalization  fund  to  be 
used  for  dividends  in  bad  years,  and  something  to  a  lease- 
hold redemption   fund.     The  stock  sells   at    112.     This 
financial  exhibit  is  worthy  of  close  study  by  those  who 


12 

propose  to  elevate  and  help  the  workingmen.  What 
kind  of  rooms,  two  in  number,  can  be  got  in  this  city  for 
$71  per  year?  We  could  give  an  account  of  other  build- 
ings for  the  same  purpose,  but  these  are  sufficient  for  the 
object  of  this  report. 

.  A  commission  is  now  sitting  in  London,  taking  testi- 
mony on  the  subject,  and  their  report  will  be  looked  for 
with  much  interest.  A  lively  controversy,  just  ended,  on 
"housing  the  poor,''  between  two  such  titanic  antagonists 
as  Lord  Salisbury  and  Mr.  Chamberlain,  is  very  instruc- 
tive reading.  London  correspondence  says:  "The  ques- 
tion of  the  housing  of  the  London  poor — or,  as  Cardinal 
Manning  prefers  to  call  them,  London  workmen,  has  not 
yet  been  relegated  to  ancient  history,  but  still  remains 
an  all-absorbing  topic.  This  week  the  clergy  have  met, 
in  various  parts  of  London  to  discuss  the  matter.  It  can- 
not be  denied  that  much  good  has  followed  from  the 
publicity  given  to  this  question  of  the  homes  of  the 
poor." 

In  London,  many  "  Homes  "  for  working-women  have 
been  established  where  they  can  obtain  excellent  board 
and  lodging  at  a  reasonable  rate,  on  the  plan  elaborated 
by  John  Shrimpton  and  they  have  been,  as  far  as  we  can 
learn,  very  successful  in  every  way.  "  Their  residents 
are  on  an  independent,  not  charitable  basis."  It  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  cost  of  such  structures  in  Lon- 
don is  excessively  high,  because  other  buildings  have  to 
be  purchased  and  demolished,  and  the  value  of  the  land 
occupied  is  out  of  all  proportion,  in  the  total  cost,  to  that 
of  Chicago. 

In  New  York  the  system  of  providing  model  tene- 
ments for  the  working  classes  has  passed  as  far  beyond 
the  experimental  stage  as  it  has  in  London.  Some  of 
the  buildings  erected  or  altered  for  the  purpose,  by  Miss 
Collins,  show  the  following  results :  One  of  five  stories, 
costing  $21,200,  occupied  by  114  persons,  with  rents 


ranging  from  $3  to  $4.50  per  month,  gives  a  return  of 
profit  between  6  and  7  per  cent.  Gotham  Court,  a  block 
of  sixteen  five-story  houses,  contains  600  persons  in  123* 
families,  and  pays  6^  per  cent.,  although  the  rents  are 
but  $3  to  $8  per  room.  The  Improved  Dwellings  Asso- 
ciation building,  containing  900  persons,  with  rents  rang- 
ing from  $7.75  to  $14.75  Per  family,  pays  5^  per  cent,  to 
the  stockholders. 

The  Home  buildings  in  Brooklyn,  with  44  families, 
the  rents  ranging  from  $6  to  $7.95  per  month,  pay  7  per 
cent,  on  the  investment,  and  a  report  says  :  "  When  it 
is  remembered  that  $10  and  even  $15  are  now  being  paid 
by  the  laboring  classes  for  two-room  apartments,  dirty, 
badly  lighted,  and  with  no  ventilation,  in  tenements  that 
are  a  disgrace  to  the  city,  the  prediction  that  such 
improved  dwellings  would  doubtless  be  filled  at  once  at 
the  above  rents  will  not  seem  to  be  visionary."  We 
could  add  other  illustrations  of  our  subject  in  those 
cities  if  the  above  were  not  enough.  We  will  refer  to 
Prof.  Adlers'  movement  to  secure  better  tenements  in 
New  York,  the  fundamental  idea  of  which  is  to  induce 
Capitalists,  from  philanthropic  motives,  to  enter  the 
project  and  consent  to  accept  3  per  cent,  per  annum  on 
their  investment,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  remarking 
that  the  time  has  not  yet  arrived,  in  Chicago,  for  such  an 
undertaking.  He  proposes  to  lease  the  buildings  so  as  to 
pay  6  or  8  per  cent.,  and  to  form  a  sinking  fund  with  the 
difference  which  shall  refund  the  advances  and  leave  the 
tenants'  rent  free,  or  perhaps  owners. 

In  all  cases  that  we  have  examined  it  has  been  found 
that  the  new  blocks  and  dwellings  described  above  have 
been  sought  for  and  occupied  by  a  better  class  of  people 
than  that  for  which  they  were  originally  designed,  and 
that  is  one  of  the  practical  difficulties  in  the  way  of  phi- 
lanthropic effort ;  but  it  is  one  of  the  most  natural  of 
occurrences,  and  it  is  no  reason  why  the  experiment 
should  not  be  continued  on  such  an  increased  scale  of 


H 

magnitude  as  will  compel  all  landlords  or  owners  of  tene- 
ment houses  to  furnish  better  accommodations  than  they 
.do,  at  cheaper  rates.  If  a  tenant  could  point  out  the 
fact  that  increasing  efforts  are  being  made  for  his  benefit 
in  this  way,  he  has  a  foothold  and  a  defense  against 
extortion.  That  such  buildings  are  sought  for  by  the 
better  classes  of  wage-workers,  is  evidence  that  more  of 
them  are  needed.  The  greater  the  number,  the  more 
rapidly  will  the  present  evils  of  tenement  houses  be 
overcome. 

In  Boston  little  has  been  done,  except  in  the  way  of 
agitation,  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  quickened  into  prac- 
tical results  if  proper  attention  is  given  to  the  recent 
report  of  the  Massachusetts  Bureau  of  Statistics  and 
Labor.  This  compares  the  prices  of  labor  and  the  cost 
of  living  in  Massachusetts  and  Great  Britain,  showing 
that  rents  in  the  former  commonwealth  are  89^  per 
cent,  higher  than  in  the  last  named  country,  while 
groceries  are  but  16-^  per  cent.,  clothing  but  18  per 
cent,  and  shoes  42T\5¥  per  cent,  higher  in  Massachusetts : 
the  articles  named,  as  also  the  tenements,  are  of  the 
grades  used  by  workingmen.  The  average  rent  for  one 
room  in  Massachusetts  is  $34.88  per  year,  while  in  Great 
Britain  it  is  but  $18.02  per  year.  In  Massachusetts  rent 
is  19^  per  cent,  of  the  whole  cost  of  workmen's  living — 
in  Great  Britain  it  is  13^  per  cent.  Yet  it  can  scarcely 
be  said  that  land  or  building  expenses  are  higher  in  New 
than  in  Old  England.  It  costs  $i  14  to  lodge  an  unmar- 
ried workman  in  Massachusetts,  and  but  $65  in  Great 
Britain ;  that  is,  in  cases  where  they  are  occupants  of 
so  called  lodging  or  boarding  houses,  but  those  figures 
do  not  include  subsistence.  In  Boston,  however,  there 
have  been  very  successful  undertakings  to  provide  com- 
fortable lodging  rooms  for  working  women  at  cheap 
rates ;  the  London  plan  alluded  to  above  finds  great 
favor. 

Philadelphia  has  not  inaptly  been  termed  the  "  Poor 
man's  Paradise,"  for  there,  more  than  in  all  other  places 


in  America,  has  been  carried  out  a  system  of  tenements 
for  the  working  classes ;  the  peculiarity  in  their  case  is 
that  it  has  been  done  by  the  men  themselves,  through 
Building  or  Loan  Societies  which,  though  they  have 
existed  elsewhere,  have  never  flourished  as  there.  We 
see  in  the  peculiarities  of  that  and  other  cities  a  proof 
that  here  in  Chicago  some  originality  of  design  and  sys- 
tem is  needed  for  our  purposes,  growing  out  of  the 
topography  of  the  city,  and  the  varied  nature  of  the  pur- 
suits and  the  character  of  the  classes  to  be  dealt  with. 
What  is  good  for  London,  New  York  or  Philadelphia, 
needs  modification  when  applied  here. 

In  Chicago  nothing  has,  as  yet,  been  done  for  work- 
ing-men's dwellings  in  the  manner  shown  in  other  cities, 
although  in  1883  there  were  1,142  so  called  "  flat  "  build- 
ings erected  or  put  in  course  of  erection,  which,  with  but 
few  exceptions,  were  rented  for  from  $15  to  $125  per 
month  for  each  flat  or  family,  an  expense  in  most  cases 
entirely  beyond  the  means  of  mechanics,  clerks,  and  the 
middle  class  of  merchants'  employes.  Permits  were  also 
issued  for  483  tenement  houses,  by  private  builders,  who 
rent  to  those  who  will  pay  the  most  for  their  habitations, 
and  who  give  as  meagre  accommodations  for  the  money 
as  the  tenants  will  submit  to.  An  official  report  on  the 
subject  says:  "Small  salaried  people  must  either  seek 
suitable  quarters  at  great  distances  from  their  places  of 
employment,  in  localities  remote  from  grocery,  provision 
or  meat  markets,  inconvenient  to  school  houses,  inade- 
quately protected  by  police  service,  or  submit  to  the 
demands  of  an  usurious  landlord  for  mere  pigsties  in  the 
miserable  tumble-down  unsanitary  rookeries  in  close 
proximity  to  business  centers,  in  many  instances  to  the 
sacrifice  of  their  health  and  morals.  Because  of  the 
actual  scarcity  of  proper  low-priced  quarters,  the  misera- 
ble rookeries  continue  to  be  crowded,  in  many  instances 
to  double  their  statutory  capacity,  to  make  a  large 
collective  income  for  the  landlord."  It  puts  the  ques- 
tion, "  Has  it  ever  occurred  to  any  of  the  business  and 


i6 

employing  firms  that  they  cannot  retain  the  services  of 
skilled  workmen  at  the  same  rate  of  wages  as  the  same 
lines  of  trade  in  adjacent  cities,  simply  because  so  much 
more  money  is  required  for  rent  here,  than  in  other 
cities?" 

The  appalling  accounts  of  squalor  and  destitution  of 
some  districts  in  London  and  New  York,  and  the  horrors 
of  "  lodging  houses "  in  those  cities,  are  paralleled  by 
those  we  know  from  our  own  observation  to  exist  in 
Chicago,  and  they  cannot  be  suppressed  or  remedied 
until  some  means  are  provided  for  housing  the  wretched 
people  to  be  displaced. 

The  plans,  estimates  and  drawings  submitted  here- 
with, depart  somewhat  from  the  suggestions  in  the  report 
of  last  year,  in  obedience  to  the  drift  of  certain  criticisms 
and  expressed  opinions  on  the  subject.  One  set  is  for  a 
large  tenement  house  on  a  plan  different  from  those 
recently  erected  in  New  York,  adapted  to  our  particular 
necessities  as  to  distance  from  a  central  location  and  con- 
taining conveniences  for  lodgers ;  the  others  are  for 
separate  tenements  or  single  houses  built  on  small  lots, 
further  removed  from  the  center  of  business,  the  idea 
being  to  allow  the  tenant  his  choice  of  the  mode  of  living, 
and  it  is  believed  that  there  will  be  many  advocates  of 
both  plans  of  housing  tenants.  In  the  latter  a  method 
for  the  purchase  of  the  lot  and  building  should  be  pro- 
vided for  those  who  desire  to  do  so.  One  of  the  reasons 
given  for  advocating  the  privilege  of  purchasing  the  pro- 
posed separate  dwellings  is  that  "  rent  is  the  great 
devourer  of  the  poor  man,"  and  that  whatever  facilities 
are  given  to  him  to  become  his  own  landlord  are  so  much 
to  his  gain  ;  the  advocates  of  the  other  mode  reason  that 
"  whatever  tends  to  reduce  rents  or  to  give  him  cleaner, 
healthier  or  more  comfortable  surroundings  for  the  same 
rent  he  is  paying  for  filthy,  unhealthy  and  uncomfortable 
tenements  and  damp  basements,  will  make  him  more 
contented,  improve  his  condition  and  save  money  for 


him."  The  number  of  those  workmen  who  purchase  and 
occupy  property  of  their  own  is  not  a  large  proportion  of 
the  aggregate.  Probably  the  outcome  of  such  an  under- 
taking as  we  propose  would  be  that  in  many  instances  life 
in  the  tenement  would  be  but  the  period  of  transition  to 
the  detached  or  independent  dwelling,  for  if  the  latter 
can  be  purchased  at  a  price  and  on  terms  about  equiv- 
alent to  a  fair  rental,  the  natural  desire  for  possessing 
property  will  prompt  the  change.  In  such  a  case  the 
advocates  of  both  plans  will  have  been  satisfied.  As 
Chicago  becomes  older  and  the  population  more  fixed 
the  desire  for  permanent  homes  will  increase. 

The  suggestions  of  this  report  have  been  mainly  made 
from  an  economic  and  financial  standpoint,  as  the  pre- 
vious one  embodied  the  social  and  sanitary  aspect,  but 
we  cannot  forbear  remarking  that  the  scheme  or  plan  is 
one  that  appeals  to  the  noblest  impulse  of  human  nature, 
that  of  benefitting  our  fellow  men.  The  rich  men  of 
Chicago  are  numerous,  and  almost  all  of  them  have  made 
their  fortunes  here ;  some  of  them  have  belonged  to  the 
very  classes  which  would  be  benefitted  by  the  proposed 
association,  and  although  it  may  be  answered  that  they 
have  worked  out  their  prosperity  by  their  own  exertions 
and  that  the  same  course  is  cpen  to  all,  a  very  proper 
reply  will  be  that  all  the  conditions  of  capital  and  labor 
have  changed,  from  well  known  causes,  within  25  years. 
It  is,  besides,,  impossible  that  all  should  accumulate 
wealth. 

We  urge  that  the  erection  of  such  buildings  will  pay 
not  only  a  "  philanthropic  compensation,"  but  will  be  a 
very  fair  business  investment.  What  better  use  can  be 
made  of  surplus  money?  It  will  pay  6  to  8  per  cent,  over 
a  sufficient  sinking  fund,  while  a  4  per  cent,  city  bond  sells 
at  a  premium ;  besides,  if  the  love  of  country  and  of  the 
great  city  which  you  have  erected  is  a  predominant  feel- 
ing in  your  political  nature,  can  you  not  perceive  that  by 
elevating  the  poorer  classes  and  improving  their  condi- 


i8 

tion  you  are  refining  their  political  and  moral  tastes  and 
habits  ?  Furnish  a  man  with  good  lodgings  and  surround- 
ings and  he  at  once  becomes  a  better  citizen.  Provide 
him  with  a  good  home  at  a  moderate  cost  and  he 
becomes  healthier  and  happier,  a  better  workman,  more 
contented  and  reliable,  a  saving  man  instead  of  a  spend- 
thrift ;  every  condition  of  his  existence  is  bettered.  The 
efforts  made  by  moral  reform  and  other  societies  for  the 
salvation  of  men  from  degradation,  poverty  and  vice  are 
worthy  of  the  commendation  of  all  well  disposed  citizens; 
no  friend  of  his  fellow-man  can  do  otherwise  than  -bid 
them  "  God-speed,"  but  we  believe  that  one  of  the  best, 
perhaps  the  very  best  foundation  for  the  reclamation  of 
an  unfortunate  victim  of  inebrity  is  to  point  out  the 
attainment  of  a  better  mode  of  physical  existence,  and  if 
it  be  true  that  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  crimes  of  the 
day  are  caused  by  drink,  then  the  reason  for  indulgence 
will  be  greatly,  infinitely  lessened  by  the  betterment  of 
the  social  and  moral  condition  of  the  delinquent.  Does 
not  the  fact  that  men  are  forced  to  live  in  hovels  lead  to 
indulgence  in  strong  drink  in  many  of  the  cases  brought 
to  the  view  of  the  temperance  societies? 

We  recommend  that  the  Citizens  Association  shall  call 
a  meeting  of  as  many  as  possible  of  the  most  influential 
capitalists,  manufacturers  and  merchants  of  this  city,  at  an 
early  day  after  the  presidential  election,  and  lay  before 
them  such  facts  and  figures  as  are  at  their  command  from 
the  archives  of  this  committee  and  such  as  can  be  pro- 
cured meanwhile,  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  them  to 
form  an  association  for  the  improvement  of  the  condition 
of  working-men  by  the  erection  of  tenement  houses  and 
dwellings  of  the  most  improved  pattern  or  model ;  that 
such  association  take  the  form  of  a  joint  stock  company 
for  monetary  investment,  with  provision  for  the  sale  of 
habitations  to  the  tenants  on  favorable  terms,  or  for  the 
sale  of  the  stock  in  small  amounts  as  a  means  of  invest- 
ment for  their  savings,  and  that  proper  precautions  be 
taken  to  prevent  the  misuse  of  the  property  for  merely 


speculative  purposes.  To  such  a  body  of  men  as  the 
executive  committee  will,  undoubtedly,  present  the 
scheme,  no  advice  that  we  can  give  of  a  financial  nature 
will  be  acceptable,  nor  will  it  be  necessary  to  appeal  to 
their  sympathies  as  we  might  do,  by  drawing  the  contrast 
between  the  mode  of  living  of  employers  and  their  work- 
men. Our  duties  cease  with  the  compilation  of  the  inform- 
ation on  which  this  report  is  based  and  the  submission 
of  the  document. 

The  first  set  of  plans  presented  herewith  is  for  a  five 
story  building  with  cellar,  to  be  erected  on  the  rear  por- 
tion of  a  block  in  a  central  location,  the  front  of  which  is 
already  occupied  by  stores  or  other  buildings,  or  designed 
for  such;  the  length  is  125  feet,  by  50  feet  in  width  with 
a  yard  20  feet  wide  its  whole  length,  the  front  portion 
of  the  lot  being  assumed  as  90  to  100  feet  deep,  10  of 
which  is  left  as  open  space  between  the  rear  of  the  build- 
ings in  front  and  the  yard  above  described.  The  street 
for  the  proposed  building  is  the  present  alley  widened  as 
much  as  possible  under  circumstances  as  they  may  be 
found  to  exist ;  there  are  entrances  to  the  building,  also, 
by  narrow  passages  at  each  end  from  the  street  proper. 
There  are,  however,  a  number  of  40  feet  streets  in  certain 
parts  of  the  city,  the  property  adjoining  which  could  be 
had  for  the  purpose.  The  cellar  of  this  structure  will 
contain  the  water  closets,  bath  rooms  and  laundries;  the 
three  lower  floors,  each  nine  feet  high  in  the  clear,  will 
contain  24  quarters,  consisting  of  a  living  room,  a  bed- 
room, and  two  closets,  the  partitions  merely  of  flooring 
seven  feet  high,  and  12  quarters  (A.  B.  C.  D.)  in  front, 
with  the  same  number  of  rooms  and  closets  but  with 
real  partitions  reaching  to  the  ceiling  and  affording  more 
conveniences,  as  shown  in  the  plan ;  each  of  these  36 
quarters  would  accommodate  a  family,  with  this  proviso, 
for  the  sake  of  decency  and  morality,  which  are  but  too 
often  neglected  in  the  present  made  of  living,  that  all 
boys  beyond  a  certain  age,  must  take  a  lodging  in  the 
dormitory,  at  a  certain  especially  low  rate  per  week  or 


20 

month.  A  wide  hall  divides  each  of  these  floors  longi- 
tudinally and  contains  at  or  near  its  center  a  slop  sink 
and  an  iron  bowl  for  water.  The  two  upper  stories  are 
for  the  lodgment  of  single  men.  The  fourth  floor  to 
have  a  separate  room  fitted  with  washbasins  and  urinals, 
a  fair  room  for  social  gathering,  to  be  furnished  with 
books  and  newspapers,  and  a  number  of  small  and  large 
rooms  with  from  two  to  six  beds  in  each.  The  fifth  floor 
to  be  one  great  room  or  dormitory  in  which  are  to  be  set 
up,  as  closely  as  possible,  (but  never  one  above  another 
as  is  now  sometimes  practiced),  single  beds  of  good  con- 
struction, about  150  of  them,  so  that  each  lodger  will 
have  something  like  500  cubic  feet  of  breathing  space. 
The  construction  of  this  building  may  be  of  the 
utmost  simplicity,  but  it  should  be  of  fire  proof  material 
as  far  as  practicable ;  the  stairs  should  be  of  iron  or  stone, 
partitions  and  furring  of  tile,  leaving  for  wood,  only  the 
joists,  flooring,  minor  partitions,  windows,  doors,  etc. 
Hall  partitions  would  contain  iron  posts  and  girders. 
Gas  fixtures  to  be  placed  only  in  the  corridors,  water 
closet  and  bath-rooms.  The  whole  establishment  should 
be  under  the  charge  of  a  competent,  honest  and  sober 
janitor.  It  would  partake  of  the  double  nature  of  a  lodg- 
ing house  for  men  and  a  tenement  house  for  families,  the 
latter  to  take  care  merely  of  their  own  apartments ;  beds 
and  necessary  furniture  for  the  lodgers  would  be  furnished 
by  the  house  and  be  under  the  care  of  the  janitor.  Baths 
should  be  provided  with  hot  and  cold  water  at  a  cost  of 
about  five  cents. 

That  such  correct  and  perhaps  perfect  management 
as  is  desired  can  be  had,  is  evidenced  by  the  experience 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  similar  enter- 
prises on  a  smaller  scale.  Large  establishments  of  the 
kind  are,  as  yet,  nowhere  to  be  found,  but  they  are  the 
most  urgent  necessity  of  our  situation,  and  would  be  the 
means  of  raising  the  lower  grades  of  society  to  a  higher 
level  and  implanting  in  their  minds,  especially  those  of 
the  rising  generation,  a  higher  degree  of  self-esteem  and 


21 

morality ;  they  are  much  more  needed  than  the  modest 
apartment  and  other  houses  hereinafter  recommended — 
they  are  the  want  of  the  present  age  and  generation. 
Their  occupancy  would  reach  down  to  the  necessities  of 
the  poorest  class  of  families  and  of  the  unmarried  work- 
ingmen,  all  of  whom  seek  quarters  in  some  central  local- 
ity, and  whose  wretched  present  condition  has  been  the 
subject  of  a  former  report,  in  which  we  viewed  them 
located  in  the  humblest  and  poorest  rookeries,  often  sev- 
eral families  in  a  single  room  of  the  most  abject  character; 
we  have  seen  single  men,  laborers  and  mechanics  crowded 
into  filthy  basements  filled  with  beds  as  closely  as  they 
could  be  placed  and  set  up  one  above  another  so  as  to 
leave  but  100  feet  or  less  of  breathing  space  for  each  indi- 
vidual in  a  damp,  ill-ventilated  room.  If  it  were  possible 
to  arrange  improved  quarters  for  the  better,  or  if  you 
please,  best  of  these  people,  the  worst  or  lowest  grade  of 
them  would  advance,  we  believe,  in  their  desire  of  better- 
ment by  the  example  of  those  who  went  out  before  them. 

Following  is  the  estimate  of  revenue  or  income  and 
of  the  expenses  of  such  an  establishment: 

INCOME   OR    REVENUE. 
12  Tenements,  A,  B,  C,  D  at  $120  per  year. .  .  .$1,440  oo 

6  at  the  ends  at  $96         "        57600 

1 8  Central  or  inner  tenements  $84  ....    1,51200 

$3,528  oo 
The  proceeds  of  the  lodging  departments  cannot 

be  so  readily  estimated.  While  the  full  and 
continuous  use  of  the  same  at  12^  cents 
per  bed,  per  night,  in  the  loft,  and  25  cents 
per  bed,  per  night,  in  the  rooms  on  the 
fourth  floor  would  yield  about  $10,000  per 
annum  it  is  probably  not  safe  to  calcu- 
late, beyond  the  expenses  for  janitor  and 
for  help,  interest  and  wear  and  tear  of 
material  and  utensils,  more  than 2,500  oo 

$6,028  oo 


22 

The  cost  of  the  building  would  not  exceed . . .  .$40,000  oo 
And   the  rear  end  of  such  a  lot  as  we  have 

proposed IO,OOO  OO 

$50,000  oo 


Interest  on  $50,000.00  at  6  per  cent  ..........  $3,000  oo 

Taxes,  insurance,  repairs  and  sinking  fund.  ...    1,700  oo 

$4,700  oo 
Showing  a  probable  profit  of  .................  $1,328  oo 


The   second   sketch  represents  a  building    16%  feet 
front  by   57  feet  deep,  three  stories  high,  with  a  flat  on 
each  floor,  to  be  placed  on  a  lot  124  feet  deep  somewhat 
removed  from  the  centre  of  business,  the  property  taken 
for  this  example  being  bounded  by  Lincoln,  I4th,  Wood 
and  1  5th  Streets.     It  contains  on  each  floor  a  sitting  room 
or  parlor,  dining  room,  kitchen,    bath  room,  closets  and 
skylight  for  ventilation   etc.;    it  has  no  cellar  and  could 
be  built  in  a  substantial  manner,  with  all  its  accessories 
and  conveniences  for  .......................  $3,200  oo 

The  lot  in  that  locality  would  cost,  167^x124.  ..         350  oo 

$3.550  oo 
CHARGES. 

Interest  on  cost  at  6  per  cent  .................  $213  oo 

Taxes  and  insurance  would  not  exceed  .........      75  oo 

Administration,  repairs  and  sinking  fund  .......     112  oo 

8400  oo 
The  three  tenements  would  readily  rent  for  $18, 

$17  and  $15  per  month  ................   $600  oo 

Showing  a  profit  of  ..........................     200  oo 

The  third  plan  is  for  a  two  story  dwelling  16^x32 
feet,  containing  four  rooms  below  and  three  above  with 
ample  conveniences;  it  is  designed  for  occupancy  of  a  lot 
in  the  same  district  as  the  one  just  described  or  on  pro- 
perty of  similar  value  of  the  dimensions  of  16^x75  feet 
and  is  the  counterpart  of  those  houses  in  Philadelphia  to 
which  we  have  referred,  though  of  better  construction. 


2  3 

The  cost  of  the  building  all  complete  would  be.   $1,000  oo 
And  of  the  lot  about 230  oo 


$1,230  oo 

6  per  cent,  interest  on  that  amount  is $74  oo 

Taxes  and  insurance 25  oo 

Administration,  repairs  and  sinking  fund 51  oo 


$150  oo 
It  is  designed  for  a  family  and  would  rent  for  $15 

to  $18  per  month,  say $200  oo 

Profit 50  oo 

The  fourth  is  for  a  tenement  house  proper  on  what  we 
conceive  to  be  the  most  economical  plan  for  our  city, 
under  all  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed  and 
briefly  alluded  to  before.  It  is  designed  for  a  two  story 
house  on  a  lot  24x124  feet;  the  dimensions  are  20x70 
feet,  two  tenements  on  each  floor;  the  entrance  at  the 
side  with  the  shelter  over  it;  one  tenement  looking  upon 
the  street  and  the  other  upon  a  yard  54  feet  deep.  Each 
tenement  has  a  kitchen,  a  living  room,  and  two  bed-rooms 
with  necessary  closets  and  other  appurtenances.  This  is  the 
tenement  house  designed  for  that  class  who  can  afford  to 
pay  but  about  $10  per  month  and  is  the  most  necessary 
of  all  strictly  tenement  honses,  being  designed  for  such 
a  large  class. 

Its  cost  would  be $2,700  oo 

The  lot 500  oo 

$3,200  oo 


Interest  on  $3,200  at  6  per  cent ....    $192  oo 

Taxes  and  insurance 70  oo 

Administration,  repairs  and  sinking  fund 108  oo 


$370  oo 

It  would  rent  very  readly  for  $480  to 500  oo 

Profit,  $UO  to   13000 


24 

Of  course  the  cost  of  the  lots  would  vary  with  the 
locality ;  we  have  selected  for  our  examples  what  may  be 
termed  high  priced  property  for  such  a  purpose,  but  we 
have  estimates  of  lots  valued  at  less  than  one-half  the 
price  of  these. 

We  have  thus  given  you  our  ideas  of  the  present 
wants  and  requirements  of  the  working  people  of  Chicago 
with  regard  to  tenement  and  lodging  houses  and  have 
only  to  add  our  belief  that  the  enormous  block  structures 
which  have  been  one  of  the  features  of  the  movement  in 
New  York  are  not  yet  needed  here ;  should,  however, 
your  committee  deem  it  necessary  or  proper,  we  can, 
without  much  trouble,  furnish  plans  and  estimates  for 
such  blocks  from  information  before  us. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

FREDERICK   BAUMANN, 
ARTHUR   C.  DUCAT, 
HENRY  WALLER,  JR. 

Committee  on  Tenement  Houses,  Citizens  Association. 
CHICAGO,  September,  1884. 


HD 
1304- 
C4 


